Lately I've been going through a list of the best sci-fi films of all time and trying to watch all of the ones that I haven't seen, which as it turns out is quite a few. I had never even heard of this film yet it was in the top 25 so I simply had to go and get it.
This is not your typical science fiction film because there are no aliens or advanced technology but as is kind of laid out in the first 5 minutes of the film it is a depiction of an end-of-the-world scenario that doesn't have the use of any sort of futuristic technology. Rather than being about rocket-ships and aliens, this film is more so about the futility of an apocalyptic scenario and how people would realistically handle such a thing when their demise becomes increasingly evident and unavoidable.
For the first 45 minutes or so, outside of the artistic intro complete with a really loud musical score, it isn't evident that any of the people in the film are even facing an apocalyptic event and it even gets a bit boring at times until after you have already seen the entire film. I will admit that I turned this movie off twice before finishing it and it wasn't until after I had seen it all that the events that took place earlier on in the film made any sense to me.
The movie begins with a very tense wedding ceremony that if you were to skip the first 10 minutes of the film and just start at this part, the movie would appear to be about a bride that feels as though she has made a terrible mistake by getting married. Kirstin Dunst plays the role of this bride named Justine who is getting married to Michael who is played by Alexander Skarsgård. The mood at the wedding is tense and again, if you didn't understand the overall theme of the film and how ultimately it is about the fact that a rogue planet is on a collision course with Earth, it would seem like an entirely different film about love and mistakes.
As the film progresses, the talk about the planet and its inevitable collision course with the planet that has been named Melancholia becomes more and more of the central theme.
Relative disinterest turns into denial turns into intrigue turns into acceptance and this is all presented in a very different and artistic way that is not typical of your usual run-of-the-mill science fiction film. When the film reaches the end, the inevitable collision course is realized and the brief visual displays of a massive planet colliding with Earth is short, but beautiful.
This is not a spoiler since it is foreshadowed in the first few minutes of the film and I thought this was a refreshing take on how to make a film. The director and writers basically tell us the ending of the film at the start and then lead us down the path to that. Normally, this is something that I wouldn't like but rather than being about flying space debris and what the powers of the world are going to do to prevent it, the film focuses on the human reaction to such an event and while not typical of sci-fi films, I found this approach to be rather refreshing and unique.
Think about it? How would you react to the knowledge that you and everyone else's demise was guaranteed and there was nothing you could do about it? This is what is on display in this film and it is tragic and impactful at the same time.
Should I watch it?
I'll be honest. This film wont be for everyone because it does drag at times and will be appreciated by people that are looking for something a little more out of the ordinary and artistic rather than just a start to finish telling of a story. Like I said, it took me 3 sittings to finish the movie but after it was all over I found myself thinking about it an awful lot and the events that took place earlier in the film that seemed trivial all of a sudden took on new meaning.
Some might find this very boring and if anyone out there is expecting some sort of sci-fi akin to Star Wars or something futuristic will probably be disappointed. I appreciate artistic films like this from time to time and even though it took me 3 goes to get through it, I am glad that I stuck with it because it is truly a work of art unlike other sci-fi films I have seen over the years.
